What do to when running "leaves you?"

I might be a bad example because I was never totally in love with running. I just did it because I was good at it and liked the feeling of success that came with winning/doing well. While I hated the pressure and stress that came with racing, I eventually did miss the excitement of competing and the satisfaction that comes with achieving goals. I had never planned on coming back to tennis but rather just got back into it as something to do and a way to meet people when I moved to a new city. But it let me push myself physically (doubles is less taxing but a tough singles match really is a grind) and gave me a competitive outlet, so it turned out that it filled the void that running left pretty well. It let me replicate those things I liked about running, without the reasons I quit (I knew I’d never get any better and it would be all downhill). It took several years for tennis to slowly grow on me again, but I got addicted to playing again and actually enjoy it more now than I did as a junior. It definitely wasn’t automatic or an obvious next move for me when I quit running, though. Also, you might find that you come to care about a new activity more and it gains significance for you as you put more work and effort into your goals there. It might also become more meaningful as you become part of that sport/activity’s community in your area. For example I eventually developed friendships with my teammates that make successes with them more meaningful and made some rivals that I always especially want to beat out of spite. That makes it more exciting, but again that took time to develop.

As a teenager running was all I wanted to do. I thought I would run well into my masters years chasing the dream. My running career went like like this....

Youth:

800m: 2:12

1500m: 4:31

Mile: 4:51

3000m: 9:47

5000m: 16:56

High School:

800m: 2:00

1500m: 4:06

Mile: 4:24

2Mile: 9:19

5000m: 15:39

10,000m: 33:16

College:

600m: 1:19

800m: 1:48

1000m: 2:24

1500m: 3:45

Mile: 4:01

3000m: 8:16

5000m: 14:17

10,000m: 29:05

Post College:

5k: 13:59

10k: 30:50

15k: 46:49

Half: 1:08

Full: 2:23

I gave it a go until I was 27. I started a family and sort of lost interest in it. It didn't help that I almost died. I was still able to run 14:50s to 15:10s on 20 to 30 miles a week and would jump in some local 5ks for fun. I went from a 15:14 to all of a sudden 3 months later running like 17:03 and felt like death. I then collapsed while running on a treadmill. I was admitted a couple months later and had a 90% inflammatory blockage of my LAD. I found other competitive paths I enjoy. I play in some large poker tournaments and look forward to the WSOP every summer. I have won way more than any race I have run playing poker tournaments and train all year by studying and entering a variety of different poker tournament events best thing is my wife and I do this together. I have gone back to school and finished an MSOL, MBA, and am almost finished with a masters in psychology. Running is not everything and sometimes as much as you don't want to admit your just not interested in it as much as you want to be. Remember your only competitive until late 20s to sometimes very early 40s on borrowed time. My advice find an activity that you truly love and can be competitive for along time in.

If there was any spelling errors my apologies to the Grammer police I wrote this on my iPad.

I think it's important to look at running differently once you're out of high school and/or college. Re-discover it without the added pressure of the competition and pressure to perform well. You can go out there now and run at any pace and you can explore different trails and different routes. Life is difficult and unfair, it takes a toll on our mental health. Running can help that and you can learn to appreciate it for that.

Being able to run is blessing to itself regardless of the level. For perspective, just go to one of the cardiac rehab facilities where people are learning how to walk after recovering from a stroke or heart failure or another cardiac event...Things can always be worse.

Starting 5-6 years ago when I was about 40 I developed some sort of nerve issue in my right hip. While I've had some ok stretches, running usually causes lasting pain. At times like my femur was splitting down the length and even walking suddenly became unbearable. I gutted through a tempo run yesterday, couldn't finish the one mile cooldown. Probably need 1-2 more days before I can run again. What I wouldn't give to have running back full time. I always loved it, I didn't peak until I was 28 and then work/marriage/kids left no time to run 100+mpw. Docs can't find anything wrong with me.

It was HARD, for a long time. I tried cycling, which actually helped the issue, it's better than nothing but not the same. Never fell in love with it.

A bit over a year ago, after gaining 40lbs since I didn't have a consistent exercise, I pulled a Ryan Hall and took up lifting. That clicked a lot more than cycling. Went from benching 165 to 270 in a year and the lower body lifting did seem to help my leg issue and my lower back.

Having been in both 15 minute and 18 minute shape, I gotta (partially) disagree with this. First, winning races is a very different experience than being in the pack - you get a bunch of positive attention, people are impressed and want to talk to you, etc. Now, that may be a positive or a negative depending on your personality, but it's a different experience.

Second, at least for me, running just feels a lot worse when I'm in 18 minute shape (or especially if I'm in, say, 20+ minute shape). When I'm in 15 minute shape, running feels f*%ing awesome - strong, powerful, nothing I'd rather be doing. Big difference to the effortful slog running feels like right now. Even at the same heart rate/RPE, running just feels way better to me when I'm super fit.

Look, dedication and enthusiasm rolls over us in waves. You can’t go at anything hammer and tongs forever. In both running and career, you can feel burnt out. Take a break. Have some fun. Maybe come back when you feel the call. Or not.

I’ve had a great career, but got bored. Then, some friends called on me to hang out and play music every week, I fell down the rabbit hole and became a hobby rocker, had a blast.

Now a decade later, I am back at work completing the best, most prestigious project of my career. What helped me? Taking the needed break.
Meanwhile, still running too, for pure fun.

Drugs

Hyrox...you'll thank me later

One of the reasons I like this place is for stories like this. Much respect brother. Thanks for sharing.

When you hit this point you have two options, you can find something new to do or you can find a new reason to keep running. I ran 2 yrs in college but after years of grad school and work I realized that I was no longer the runner I was at my peak and at this point it was too far gone to go back. 2 yrs ago I started coaching and I found that what I really loved about running was being able to share it with other people. I still get to set some PRs in the half marathon and marathon distances now too which is still fun. Don't get me wrong, I miss the track but now I get to train young athletes to run the times I once ran and I still occasionally throw the spikes on and get some fast reps in.

Yes. And think about alternatives that involve running, but push you a bit out of your one foot in front of the other comfort zone. Examples: orienteering, trail racing, trail ultras, aquathlon (swim-run) or duathlon (run-bike) and of course triathlon. Check out things like ÖTILLÖ.

If I could go back to when I felt the way the OP did, approximately when I was 26 and still relatively young, I'd have gone back to downhill skiing. It was my original first love sport and the one that made me want to go to the Olympics. I was a damn good skier but never competed in it and I'm sure I would have been terrible at it competitively, mainly because the people who are actually good live on a mountain and ski every day.

When I started working (age 24), I lived in Park City and could have skied every day. I only went a couple times because I was dedicated to running and afraid to get injured skiing. Once I quit running I could have skied without that worry. But by then I was nowhere near mountains and hadn't thought of skiing in a long time.

Recently I've been watching a ton of skiing youtube videos and I now have a huge passion for it again but I'm in my 50s and the things that look fun on skis are things I'd never be able to do at my age. Injuries come much easier now, and while I would still enjoy cruising around on skis on unchallenging terrain, I certainly don't have the body to do steep runs, moguls, or anything where I got a ton of air. So it's kind of depressing realizing that in my 30s to 40s I was so busy that the opportunity to do this passed me by.

If you're reading this and on your way out of running, and still relatively young, make sure you do the physically demanding things that you won't be able to do when you're older. I get a thrill in my heart watching people ski online and wondering if I could manage those slopes (everything looks easy on camera but when you're at the top of it it's often scary AF).